Sports and venues of the London 2012 Paralympic GamesGiving us all something to get excited about

In 2012, athletes from all over the world will come to the UK to take part in the Paralympic Games. We want to make these Paralympic Games memorable.

London 2012 International

Education Programme

Sports and venues of the London 2012 Paralympic GamesAbout 4,200 athletes from 170 teams will come to the UK to compete in 20 different sports. These sports include Boccia, Wheelchair Basketball, Goalball and Sitting Volleyball.

Many of the Paralympic events will take place in the huge ExCel in London. Rowing will be at Eton Dorney in Buckinghamshire, Shooting at The Royal Artillery Barracks in London and Sailing at Weymouth and Portland in Dorset.

Which teams will you support during the 2012 Games? Do you have a favourite Paralympic sport? Or a favourite Paralympic athlete?

Did you know…?Because of its strong connection with Stoke Mandeville and the UK, in 2012 the Paralympic Games will be ‘coming home’

Activity idea

Discuss and imagineThink about your country. What sports are played in your country? Why are they so popular? Are any of them Paralympic sports? Pretend you are organising the next Paralympic Games. Which new event would you introduce to the Games? Think about why you want this new sport. Work in groups to present your idea to your class.

GlossaryVENUE – a building or location where an event (the sporting competition) will take place

Paralympic Archery

Venue: The Royal Artillery Barracks, LondonDates: Thursday 30 August – Wednesday 5 September 2012Medal events: 9Athletes: 140 (88 men, 52 women)

Archery has taken place at every Paralympic Games since the Stoke Mandeville Games in 1948.

Paralympic Athletics

Venues: Olympic Stadium, London (track and field events); The Mall, London (road events)Dates: Friday 31 August – Sunday 9 September 2012Medal events: 170Athletes: 1,100 (740 men, 360 women)

Visually impaired runners use a guide runner to help them to finish the race course safely and as quickly as possible. The guide runner runs alongside them during the race and ‘guides’ them to stay in their lane.

Boccia

Venue: ExCeL, LondonDates: Sunday 2 – Saturday 8 September 2012Medal events: 7Athletes: 104

The aim of this sport is to get the game balls as close to the ‘jack’ (a special target ball) as possible.

Paralympic Cycling – Road

Venue: Brands Hatch, KentDates: Wednesday 5 – Saturday 8 September 2012Medal events: 32Athletes: 225 – 155 men, 70 women (across Road and Track)

Athletes can use a bicycle, tricycle, tandem or handcycle to compete. The type of bike they use depends on their classification.

Paralympic Cycling – Track

Venue: Olympic Park – Velodrome, LondonDates: Thursday 30 August – Sunday 2 September 2012Medals events: 18Athletes: 225 – 155 men, 70 women (across Road and Track)

More athletes are now able to take part in Paralympic Cycling because of changes in technology. Cycling is now the third largest sport on the Paralympic programme.

Paralympic Equestrian

Venue: Greenwich Park, LondonDates: Thursday 30 August – Tuesday 4 September 2012Medal events: 11Athletes: 78

Athletes with a physical disability or a visual impairment can compete in the Equestrian event.

The sports of the London 2012 Paralympic GamesThe sports in the Paralympic Games can change with every new Games. The sports at the London 2012 Paralympic Games are:

Football 5-a-side

Venue: Olympic Park – Hockey Centre, LondonDates: Friday 31 August – Saturday 8 September 2012Medal events: 1Athletes: 64 (all men; eight teams)

A sport for blind or visually-impaired athletes who wear a blindfold. It is played with no throw-ins and no offside rule.

Football 7-a-side

Venue: Olympic Park – Hockey Centre, LondonDates: Saturday 1 – Sunday 9 September 2012Medal events: 1Athletes: 96 (all men; eight teams)

There is no offside rule, similar to 5-a-side. Throw-ins may be made with only one hand. This sport is specifically for athletes with cerebral palsy.

Goalball

Venue: Olympic Park – Handball Arena, LondonDates: Thursday 30 August – Friday 7 September 2012Medal events: 2Athletes: 132 (72 men, 60 women;12 men’s teams and 10 women’s teams)

Goalball is a team sport designed for athletes with a visual impairment. The ball has a bell in it and the players need complete silence to hear the ball, because they are wearing blindfolds.

Paralympic Judo

Venue: ExCeL, LondonDates: Thursday 30 August – Saturday 1 September 2012Medal events: 13Athletes: 132 (84 men, 48 women)

The sport is played by athletes with a visual impairment in several weight categories.

Powerlifting

Venue: ExCeL, LondonDates: Thursday 30 August – Wednesday 5 September 2012Medal events: 20Athletes: 200 (120 men, 80 women

Athletes with different disabilities compete for the same medals as classification is only based on an athlete’s weight.

Paralympic Rowing

Venue: Eton Dorney, BuckinghamshireDates: Friday 31 August – Sunday 2 September 2012Medal events: 4Athletes: 96 (48 men, 48 women)

Rowing was the last sport to be added into the Paralympic programme. It was added for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Paralympic Sailing

Venue: Weymouth and Portland, DorsetDates: Saturday 1 – Thursday 6 September 2012Medal events: 3Athletes: 80

The two-person boat is specifically designed for athletes with a severe disability, whereas the single-person and three-person boats can be used by most disability groups.

Paralympic Shooting

Venue: The Royal Artillery Barracks, LondonDates: Thursday 30 August – Tuesday 4 September 2012Medal events: 12Athletes: 140 (100 men, 40 women)

The shooting competition is divided into two groups – standing and wheelchair. The competition for both groups tests accuracy and control.

Paralympic Swimming

Venue: Olympic Park – Aquatics Centre, LondonDates: Thursday 30 August – Saturday 8 September 2012Medal events: 148Athletes: 600 (350 men, 250 women)

A ‘tapper’ helps visually impaired swimmers. When they arrive at the end of the pool, the tapper makes a noise to help the swimmers to turn or finish.

Paralympic Table Tennis

Venue: ExCeL, LondonDates: Thursday 30 August – Saturday 8 September 2012Medal events: 29Athletes: 276 (174 men, 102 women)

Athletes from all disability groups, except athletes with a visual impairment, compete in the Table Tennis competition. There are two groups of competitors – standing and sitting.

Volleyball – Sitting

Venue: ExCeL, LondonDates: Thursday 30 August – Saturday 8 September 2012Medal events: 2Athletes: 198 (110 men, 88 women; 10 men’s teams and 8 women’s teams)

At all times athletes must be sitting on the ground when they are playing. A high level of teamwork, skill and strategy is required to play Sitting Volleyball.

Wheelchair Basketball

Venue: North Greenwich Arena, London; Olympic Park – Basketball Arena, LondonDates: Thursday 30 August – Saturday 8 September 2012Medal events: 2Athletes: 264 (144 men, 120 women; 12 men’s teams and 10 women’s teams)

Five players out of 12 from each team are on the court during play and throughout the game.

Wheelchair Fencing

Venue: ExCeL, LondonDates: Tuesday 4 – Saturday 8 September 2012Medal events: 12Athletes: 100

Wheelchairs are attached to the floor to help the athlete to compete in Wheelchair Fencing. The chairs are designed so that fencers can only move their upper body.

Wheelchair Rugby

Venue: Olympic Park – Basketball Arena, LondonDates: Wednesday 5 – Sunday 9 September 2012Medal events: 1Athletes: 96 (8 teams)

The aim of this sport is for athletes to carry the ball over the opponent’s goal line The sport can be very physical.

Wheelchair Tennis

Venue: Olympic Park – Eton Manor, LondonDates: Saturday 1 – Saturday 8 September 2012Medal events: 6Athletes: 112

The ball is allowed to bounce twice in Wheelchair Tennis. The first bounce must be inside the boundary of the court.

Activity idea

Follow the Paralympic sports!Which of these Paralympic sports have you heard of before? See which sports your friends have heard of. Why not invite each person to tell the rest of the class about their favourite Paralympic sport? Find out what you can about the sports you don’t know and tell the rest of the class what you have learnt. You could even try out the sport! Talk with your classmates and make a timetable for all the Paralympic events that you and your class are going to watch.

GlossaryBOUNCE – when a ball moves up and down on a surface

BOUNDARY – a line marking the edge of something

CEREBRAL PALSY – a condition which affects movement and posture and results from damage to an area of the brain

CLASSIFICATION – A system through which athletes of similar ability compete against each other

GUIDE-RUNNER – another runner who guides the athlete around the course OFFSIDE RULE – when a player is closer to the opponent’s goal than the ball and the last defender

THROW-IN – when a player throws the ball from behind a sideline after it has been kicked out by an opponent

TRICYCLE, TANDEM, HANDCYCLE – different types of bicycle used by athletes for Paralympic Cycling

VISUAL IMPAIRMENT – partial eyesight

Focus on: Goalball, Boccia and Wheelchair Rugby

Goalball

A bell is placed inside the game ball, so that the players can hear where it is. It is very important that the crowd is completely silent. Every player wears a ‘blackout’ mask to make sure no one has an advantage.

Men and women can play on the same team. Games are 20 minutes long with a break in the middle.

Goalball events will be played in the Handball Arena from 30 August – 7 September 2012. There will be 132 athletes competing in two medal events.

Boccia

Boccia is a game of skill and determination. It is played on a court with boundary lines. The aim of the game is to throw game balls as close as possible to the target – the ‘jack’.

Men and women can play on the same team. Individual and pair games last four rounds. Team games last six rounds.

Boccia used to be a leisure-time activity. It became a Paralympic sport at the Stoke Mandeville and New York 1984 Paralympic Games. The Boccia events will be held at the ExCeL from 2 – 8 September 2012. 104 athletes will take part in seven medal events.

GlossaryVISUAL IMPAIRMENT – partial eyesight

BOUNDARY – a line to mark the edge of something

Wheelchair Rugby

Wheelchair Rugby is an intense and physical sport for male and female athletes. Teams of four compete against each other for four periods of eight minutes. The aim is to take the game ball across the opposing team’s line.

The sport is practised in at least 25 different countries. Invented in Canada during the 1970s, Wheelchair Rugby finally became a Paralympic sport at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.

There will be 96 athletes (eight teams) at London 2012. They will compete at the Basketball Arena from 5 – 9 September 2012.

Venues in the Olympic Park

Olympic Stadium Paralympic Athletics, Opening and Closing Ceremonies

The Olympic Stadium has been built on an island. It is surrounded by water on three sides. Spectators will reach the Stadium across five bridges which connect it to other areas of the Olympic Park.

Aquatics Centre Paralympic Swimming

The Aquatics Centre has a spectacular roof that looks like a wave in the sea.

GlossaryPITCH – area marked for play (for example, a football field or cricket field)

OPENING CEREMONY – a large event in the Olympic Stadium to celebrate the start of the Games

VENUE – a location or building where an event (sporting competition) takes place

OLYMPIC STADIUM – the main venue for the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. The Opening Ceremony, Closing Ceremony and the Athletics competition take place here

The main location of the London 2012 Games is the amazing new Olympic Park in East London

Eton Manor Wheelchair Tennis

There will be nine competition courts and four warm-up courts at Eton Manor, with 10,500 seats for spectators.

Handball Arena Goalball

This building is eco-friendly. It collects water from the roof and uses it to flush the toilets.

Velodrome Paralympic Track Cycling

The lower part of the Velodrome has 3,500 seats located around the track, with 2,500 more seats under the roof.

Hockey Centre Paralympic 5-a-side Football, Paralympic 7-a-side Football

There will be nine competition courts and four warm-up courts at Eton Manor, with 10,500 seats for spectators.

Basketball Arena Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

The Basketball Arena has 12,000 seats. The seats are the same colour as a basketball, black and orange.

Activity idea

News reportTV, radio, newspaper and internet journalists will come from around the world to watch and report on the Paralympic Games. Imagine you are one of them. Try to create some news stories of your own. Work together in teams and invent news stories about what might happen at the London 2012 Paralympic Games to share with your classmates, school and family. You could read out your report in class like someone who reads the news on TV, or even in assembly to your school!

Hockeywarm-up

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Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Surveyon behalf of HMSO. © Crown copyright and database right 2010. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100046062.

Non-competition venuesCompetition venues

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Venues in the Olympic Park

The Mall Paralympic Athletics

In the centre of London, The Mall runs from Buckingham Palace (where the Queen lives) to Trafalgar Square.

North Greenwich Arena Wheelchair Basketball

This building was built to celebrate the Millennium (the year 2000) and is now a sports and entertainment venue.

Greenwich Park Paralympic Equestrian

Greenwich Park is London’s oldest Royal Park. It dates back to 1433 and has been a World Heritage Site since 1997.

ExCeL Boccia, Paralympic Judo

This is a huge exhibition centre which will host the largest number of sports outside the Olympic Park.

The Royal Artillery Barracks Paralympic Archery

The London port of Woolwich has a long military history and The Royal Artillery Barracks were built in 1776.

Venues across LondonA large number of events during the 2012 Paralympic Games will take place inside the Olympic Park. However, some events will take place outside the Park in other parts of London.

Activity idea

Your venuesDo you think London will be an exciting place to be during the 2012 Games? Imagine if the Games were in your country. Could your country host the Paralympic Games? Do you have suitable venues in your country? Design your own Paralympic venue. Remember to make it easy for everyone to get there and use it. Then make up your own programme of Paralympic events.

GlossaryWORLD HERITAGE SITE – a place of great historical importance

PITCH – area marked for play (for example, a football field or cricket field)

VENUE – a building or location where an event (a sporting competition) takes place

OLYMPIC STADIUM – this is the main venue for the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. The Opening Ceremony, Closing Ceremony and the Athletics competition take place here

Brands Hatch, Kent Paralympic Road Cycling

Brands Hatch is a famous motor racing circuit and an old Formula One venue.

Eton Dorney, Buckinghamshire Paralympic Rowing

The eight lane rowing course is set in a 400-acre park with a nature conservation area.

Weymouth and Portland, Dorset Paralympic Sailing

Weymouth and Portland provides some of the best natural sailing waters in the UK.

What is good about watching the Games at Eton Dorney or at Brands Hatch? Would you prefer to watch the Games in one of those Venues or in the Olympic Park?

Venues across the UKAlthough the 2012 Paralympic Games are centred in London, other sports will take place outside London in other parts of the UK.

GlossaryVENUE – a location or venue where an event (sporting competition) takes place

CONSERVATION AREA – a protected natural area

PITCH – area marked for play (for example, a football field or cricket field)

Before the Games begin, athletes will stay and prepare in training camps all across the UK. Once the Games start, the athletes will move to the Athletes’ Village

More than 4,200 athletes and officials will use this area during the Paralympic Games. They will eat, drink, relax, sleep, and contact their families here while they prepare for the greatest competition of their lives. The Village will become their home.

ComfortComfort is very important. If athletes are not comfortable, they will not perform well. So, LOCOG and the ODA have made sure every part of the Village and Olympic Park is suitable for all the athletes – Olympic or Paralympic.

Eating wellThere will be a dining hall with 5,000-seats. It will serve all kinds of food and drink for the athletes and officials. Everyone will find something they like to eat!

There will also be several other places to eat, including cafés.

Activity idea

Eating well!What will the London 2012 chefs have to think about when they cook for all the athletes? What would you want to eat if you were getting ready for a big event? What about athletes from other countries want to eat? Would they want to eat the same as you?

The Athletes’ VillageThe ODA is currently building the competing athletes’ home-away-from-home: the Athletes’ Village.

GlossaryOLYMPIC DELIVERY AUTHORITY (ODA) – the organisation which builds the venues for the London 2012 Games

LONDON ORGANISING COMMITTEE OF THE OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES (LOCOG) – the organisation which prepares and stages the Games’

EntertainmentWhen athletes are not competing, they will be able to watch the events and enjoy the cultural celebrations on big screens around the Village.

The Village will include a Village Plaza, which will allow athletes to meet with friends and family. Athletes from all teams will share this space. Here they will be able to make friends with people from other countries. This atmosphere will hopefully make the Games more fun for everyone.

Stay connectedAthletes will find it easy to find out what’s happening in the world. International newspapers will be available so that every athlete can read the news from their own country. The Village will also have Wi-Fi and Internet access so athletes can say hello to their family and friends back home.

Activity idea

Dramatise the VillageThe Village will be an important part of the Games. What do you think life in the Village will be like? Pretend you are an athlete living in the Village during the Paralympic Games. Work in groups and act out scenes to show what life is like there. Here are some ideas to get you started:

– Perhaps you have just won a gold medal or you are comforting a friend who has just missed a medal

– You might be in a café talking to athletes from other countries and finding out about their training programme and how it is different from yours. Are they missing their family? Tell them about your home and your favourite food!

Activity idea

Successful Preparation!Good preparation helps the athletes do their best on the day. Imagine you have a team competing in the London 2012 Paralympic Games, how would you make sure the athletes are properly prepared? Work as a team. Have one or two people responsible for each area of preparation:

– Happiness – how are you going to make sure your athlete is happy? After all, they could be a long way from home.

– Fitness – how are you going to keep your athlete healthy?– Food – what food will your athlete need to keep them happy and fit?– Relaxation – there will be plenty of time when your athlete is not training or racing. What will

they do to relax? Will they visit some of London’s famous sights?

The Basketball Arena will be removed after the Games. However, some parts of the Arena will be taken to other areas of the UK and used there.

The Athletes’ Village will be turned into homes for teachers and nurses who work in London.

The Velodrome will be changed into a VeloPark for public use.

The Olympic Stadium will remain a world-class sporting arena used by our athletes and become home to a UK football club – West Ham United.

After the London 2012 Paralympic GamesAfter the Games have finished many of the sporting venues will be used for other things.

The Aquatics Centre will become a public swimming centre. It will include a crèche, family changing areas, a café and a new public square outside.

Activity idea

Teacher’s ideaWhat do you think they should do with the Paralympic facilities after the Games? Write down your ideas. Find out more information about the Paralympic facilities on the London 2012 website. Are there any buildings where you live that you think should be renovated?

From Jo Daniels Davenant Foundation School

Share the Games!Remember: the Games are for everyone. Find out as much as you can about the Games by using the International Paralympic Committee and London 2012 websites. Then think of fun ways to get other people excited about the Paralympic Games!

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GlossaryCRECHE – a place where children are looked after

OLYMPIC DELIVERY AUTHORITY (ODA) – the organisation which builds the venues for the London 2012 Games

VELOPARK – recreational area for cycling

RENOVATED – when the use of a building is changed (for example, from the Athletes’ Village to private homes)